Journal of pediatric surgery
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Review Meta Analysis
Performance of abdominal ultrasonography in pediatric blunt trauma patients: a meta-analysis.
The objective of the study was to obtain the best estimates of the test performance of abdominal ultrasonography (US) for identifying children with intraabdominal injuries (IAIs). ⋯ Abdominal US has a modest sensitivity for the detection of children with hemoperitoneum; however, its test performance characteristics worsen when only the most methodologically rigorous articles are included. A negative US examination has questionable utility as the sole diagnostic test to rule out the presence of IAI. Because of the high risk of IAI, a hemodynamically stable child with a positive US examination should immediately undergo abdominal computed tomographic scanning.
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Case Reports
Anorectal impalement in a pediatric patient with transanal evisceration of small bowel.
Rectal injuries in the pediatric population are most often attributed to accidental falls on offending objects, sexual abuse, or blunt trauma. Anorectal impalement is a rare injury, and as a result, specific knowledge or experience on the treatment of this type of injury in children is sparse. ⋯ We present a case of accidental anorectal impalement in a child by a fall on the handle of a toilet brush. The handle caused an anterior rupture of the intraperitoneal part of the rectum with subsequent transanal evisceration of several loops of small bowel.
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The prognosis of babies with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) remains unsatisfactory despite recent advances in medical and surgical treatment. Most authors agree that the best way to improve outcomes for this disease is to focus on pulmonary hypoplasia and persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH), the 2 most unfavorable prognostic factors for patient survival. However, controversy remains regarding the best treatment of CDH. In the past decade, several institutions have developed treatment protocols that include high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV), preoperative stabilization, and no thoracic drain. This strategy is 1 of several "gentle ventilation" strategies. We describe our 10-year experience in treating a cohort of 111 infants with CDH managed with this "gentle ventilation" strategy. ⋯ The CDH treatment strategy that includes HFOV, preoperative stabilization and no thoracic drain ensures survival with minimal pulmonary morbidity (low rate of pulmonary infections and low rate of patients requiring oxygen at home) in most affected babies. Persistent pulmonary hypertension has been the most challenging factor that ultimately determined the final outcome, and availability of new vasoactive drugs is mandatory to ameliorate the prognosis especially in high-risk patients. Meanwhile, survival comparisons of low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups between institutions using different protocols will allow the identification of the best strategy for CDH management.
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The study describes a safe and least aggressive method to resolve airway obstruction in children born with a Pierre Robin sequence (PRS). ⋯ Children born with PRS have a good prognosis at birth provided that adequate respiratory support is given using either positive airway pressure mask or pharyngeal tube.